Day 8 final day

Guest blogger Sam Griffith writing so this will be short as I do not have the calloused thumbs that Jeff has.
Very emotional day as with Jeff gone it hit home with a number of the folks that the week and tournament is over.
In the 3rd place game, Kaunas beats Sporto Vilkai the other Lithuanian team in the 8th inning 7 to 5 in a true nail bitter. Championship game has the Czech team beating Belarus 12 to 7. Game much better than the score represents. In the second game we had 4 rain delays for over an hour in total non playing time. The field crew on the field with brooms and shovels digging ditches to drain the water after torrential downpour with over 40 MPH winds, brutal, no one works harder than Tomas and his crew of kids.
In the post tournament awards ceremony, Best Hitter – Tomasz Hrubon, Czech, Best Pitcher – Aliaksandr Damilin, Belarus, MVP to Martin Smoldas, Czech.
Jeff had given young Ed a hockey style mask. Since Ed was the plate ump for the championship game, he was not on the 1st game. Ed sat in the stands for the whole 1st game practicing taking it off and making sure his hat stayed on. When it came time for his plate, he went back to his normal mask, “not enough practice time, I have to look good”.
It has been a great 5 years, have loved every minute of everyday. Would go anywhere and at anytime with Jeffas and Bobbas. If any readers are looking to travel somewhere with the most hospitable people on this earth, Lithuania is the place to go without a doubt.
As a private note, thanks to Marsha and Debs for letting Jeff and I disappear for a couple of weeks every year. Dashem – Shitas Garay – Achoo
Sent wirelessly via BlackBerry from T-Mobile.

Lithuania 2009 Day 7

I hate goodbyes, but more so this year, because while I know we will be back at SOME point, I can’t say with certainty that it’ll be next year, or the year after, or the year after that.

So as the procession of well-wishers and other baseball acquaintances stop by the field here in Utena to say goodbye, the hugs and handshakes are a little longer, the tears a little larger, and the emotion just a little more heart-felt. On both sides.

It started Wednesday when Arturas and Loreta, whose farm we visit for an evening each year, made the hour-long drive over from just outside Vilnius. Then Gintaras (Eel Man) and Ina, who host us at their lake house nearby each year, paid a special visit.

This evening, tournament organizers invited all the coaches and umpires to a reception at the lake to celebrate our involvement in making this tournament what it is today.

Ironically, earlier today, as four totally-decked-out umpires took the field, I was thinking how far this event has come – maybe not so much from the perspective of number of teams, but certainly in terms of quantity and quality of umpires.

In the first Sporto Vilkai Cup, the umpires were Sam Griffith, Bobby Gumbs, Zilvinas Bareinke (Z-Man) and me. Z-Man was a first-year umpire then – now he’s done a couple of European Regionals.

In fact, the fifth different umpire will work this tourney’s championship plate on Friday. Edgaras Matciuvicius, the 24-year-old up-and-comer from the Lithuanian stable of umpire talent, gets the dish. He’s long, lean, athletic, has good mechanics, takes criticism well, and understands the game, its rules and its nuances.

We’d like to think that we’ve had a hand in making him the umpire he is today. Certainly, we’ve had a hand in dressing him – earlier in the week, I gave him three different color shirts he didn’t have and a new hockey-style mask, and Sam gave him new ball bags. Today, Sam gave him his plate slacks.

FINAL POOL PLAY standings: Czech Republic 3-1, Belarus 3-1, Vilnius-Lithuania 2-2, Kaunas-Lithuania 2-2, Poland 0-4.

The defending champ Czechs meet Belarus in Friday’s title game. In their pool play game, the Czechs won, 10-9. Kaunas and rival Vilnius battle for third.

ONLY IN LITHUANIA Dept.: Funny scene no. 1- Belarus batter gets hit by a pitch, throws his bat away and starts to run to first. “Not so fast,” says plate umpire Sam Griffith, explaining to the batter, and then the coach, that the hitter must make SOME attempt, even a flinch, to get away from the pitch; otherwise, the pitch is simply called a ball. So the batter retrieves his bat, steps into the box and proceeds to get plunked by the very next pitch.

Funny scene no. 2 – In my plate game Wednesday, Belarus was bunting over and over, and with no chalk to identify a batter’s box, its hitters kept creeping closer and closer to pitcher. So I called time, and attempted to take the bat out of the hitter’s hands to use the knob to etch a line in the dirt. But the batter didn’t understand why I wanted his bat and wouldn’t let go, so it became a mini tug-of-war that I finally won, but only after his coach told him what I was trying to do.

Even funnier – after I drew the line that would serve as the front of the batter’s box, the hitter proceeded to straddle it rather than standing behind it, eliciting even more good-natured laughter.

INTERPRETATION DEPT.: I asked one of the English-speaking Lithuanians to interpret what the Kaunas team was chanting during its game against Belarus Thursday. The answer: “We came here to win, and we’re not afraid of anybody.” Don’t think I’ve heard that one in the states.

FEET-FIRST? When I saw a player slide feet-first into first base on Monday, I had to think long and hard about whether I’d ever seen it before. Now I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve seen it this week

SENTIMENT IS running 20-1 in favor of my decision to call time and keep Belarus from pulling a hidden-ball trick on Poland when they were leading 11-0 with one out to go. In fact, Pat Pozzell, the head of baseball officiating for the Big Ten Conference said, “I agree with the decision in that situation. The game is about strategy, not trickery.”

CUP RUNNETH Over Dept.: Only a secure umpire walks over to the fence between innings, reaches in his pants, pulls out his cup and hands it to his wife. That was Z-Man’s special moment with wife Lina this afternoon. I didn’t pursue details.

FOUR THINGS we’d like to see before we come back to Utena: large coffee cups, multi-ply toilet paper, peppers to shake on your pizza and fabric softener.

I AM TRAVELING home Friday to attend a wedding; as such, Sam Griffith will report on the final games in a first-ever guest-blog on this site.

I’M OUT!!!
**********************************
Jeff Chapman
MLC Worldwide, Inc.
Cell 925 413-9400

Sent via Blackberry on AT&T

Lithuania 2009 Day 6

One of the great joys of coming to Lithuania the past five years is the people. It is born out every minute of every day that we are here, and believe me when I say that as the departure day nears, the sadness deepens – mine especially, since I have to leave the morning of Friday’s final games.

These people have demonstrated over and over that their hospitality knows no bounds. And no matter how much we do in return, it doesn’t seem like enough.

But what we do, we do well. Each year since we began coming over to run this tournament and train umpires, we also coordinate the donation of equipment, jerseys, caps, umpire gear and pins at home and cart them halfway around the world, oftentimes in lieu of bringing our OWN clothing and equipment.

it’s nice to receive, but it’s infinitely more rewarding to give.

Before this week’s Sporto Vilkai Cup even began, Sam Griffith gave each umpire a hat and two ball bags emblazoned with the Lithuanian Baseball logo, courtesy of District 68. I offered up an array of different color umpire shirts, courtesy of Jack Townsend and Zane Clutts, as well as some new hockey-style masks, courtesy of Niles-Centerville LL.

Before Wednesday’s all-Lithuanian battle between Vilnius and Kaunas, I presented the coaches of Kaunas and Utena with new sets of uniforms, courtesy of Tassajara LL.

Perhaps I am most proud of the donation we did not make in person. Saulius Kalanta, the brother of our tournament director, Raimundas, lives in the Lithuanian town of Druskininkai, a little north of the Poland border, and they just started baseball there last year. The two sets of uniforms, courtesy of Granada LL, as well as some catcher’s equipment and cleats, “will inspire other boys and girls to want to play,” said Raimundas.

To all those who sent donations with us, no matter how large or small, please know that everything has a new home. And that there were a lot of smiles, hugs and sincere appreciation shown in return.

STANDINGS AFTER Day Three: Czech Republic 2-1 (clinched spot in title game), Belarus 2-1, Lithuania-Kaunas 2-1, Lithuania-Vilnius 2-2, Poland 0-3.

The Czechs beat Belarus 10-9 to clinch a spot in the final game. The winner of Thursday’s Belarus-Kaunas game will also play for the championship. Vilnius swept a doubleheader Wednesday to clinch a spot in Friday’s third-place game. Poland will finish fifth no matter what happens Thursday.

WATCHING TV: Andres Biedrins of the Golden State Warriors just scored the game’s first hoop for Latvia in its game against host Lithuania in Kaunas. The game is an exhibition to commemorate the 70-year anniversary of Lithuania’s win over Latvia in the European Championships title game in this same building that was built specifically for that game in 1939.

WHO KNEW DEPT.: Poland’s team in this tournament is from the northern town of Dzialdowo. It is subsidized by an ongoing annual grant from the New York Yankees, who have a front-office staffer from that town.

I’M OUT!!!
**********************************
Jeff Chapman
MLC Worldwide, Inc.
Cell 925 413-9400

Sent via Blackberry on AT&T

Lithuania 2009 Day 5

OK all you umpires, what would YOU have done?

I am not second-guessing myself, not in the least, but there are some here who are questioning it, so I throw it out there to y’all.

Belarus was leading Poland 11-0 with two out and no one on in the 5th. We were one out from being done.

Poland hadn’t been able to get out of its own way for an hour and a half. Despite what I wrote yesterday about balks being generally ignored, we called 10 in this game – all for the same reason (failure to stop and set), and all came after repeated warnings and mini-clinics.

Anyway, Belarus was loving this stomping it was putting on Poland, and its kids were even heard to laugh and mock the Poles at times. It was that bad.

So anyway, it was the top of the 5th, two were out and the Poles had a rare baserunner via a walk. I was the 3rd base umpire, so I was “inside” and closest of the umpires to the pitcher when the shortstop asked for time. All the infielders came to the mound. At first, I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I quickly realized the pitcher didn’t have the ball anymore, so I knew the hidden-ball play was coming.

It was my personal moment of truth – let it play out, run the risk of the final out being made on a “gimmick” play that would give the Belarus kids one final reason to laugh at their opponents, or call “time” and force the ball to be returned to the pitcher.

I chose the latter.

Most all my fellow umpires agreed with me, but a couple of the Lithuanians questioned why I would not allow Belarus to do something that’s well within the rules.

My answer: it’s all about respecting the game and NOT disrespecting your opponent. I didn’t want to see the scene I thought MIGHT occur, so I kept it from happening. As co-tournsament director and co-umpire in chief, I made a decision that I thought was in the best interest of the game and the tournament,

So, that said, what would YOU have done?

COOL SCENE: I looked around at about 10 o’clock, and what did I see? Sam Griffith had the plate for Czech-Republic vs. host Vilnius, Lithuanian umpires Zilvinas Bareinke and Edgaras Matusevicius had the bases and were wearing their new light blue shirts, courtesy of Jack Townsend and Zane Clutts, the crowd was sizable and boisterous, albeit smoking and drinking, Poland and Belarus were warming up for the next game, and horses were being trained on the racetrack that surrounds the field. It was baseball”s version of heaven on earth.

AFTER LOSING 13-3 to Belarus in their first game Tuesday, Poland’s players laid in the bleachers as though they’d just played a 20-inning marathon, then proceeded to lose 17-2 to Kaunas and surrendered after 3 1/2 innings, citing a lack of pitching…as though they had any measurable pitching to begin with.

STANDINGS AFTER two days: Belarus 2-0, Kaunas-Lithuania 2-0, Czech Republic 1-1, Vilnius-Lithuania 0-2, Poland 0-2.

I’M OUT!!!

**********************************
Jeff Chapman
MLC Worldwide, Inc.
Cell 925 413-9400

Sent via Blackberry on AT&T

Lithuania 2009 Day 4

The Czechs are taking infield and the catcher’s not wearing a mask. Safety issue – address it.

The Kaunas catcher has a mask, but it doesn’t have a dangling throat protector. Safety issue – deal with it.

Game starts and both Kaunas coaches go out to coach the bases, leaving no adult in the dugout. We ignore it.

Every kid, it seems, is wearing a rope necklace. We ignore it.

Kid swing two bats in the on-deck circle. We ignore it.

Coach puts on a mask and comes out to warm up a pitcher between innings. We ignore it.

Baserunners clap their hands in an attempt to break the pitcher’s concentration. It’s not in the rules, but we don’t let them do it at home and it’s annoying, so we tell them to stop.

Balks galore, but not on attempted pickoffs so much as just awkward pitching motions. We ignore them and use the opportunities to instruct.

Parents drinking beer and smoking in the stands right behind home plate. We ignore it.

We’re at the Sporto Vilkai Cup in Utena, Lithuania. It’s not a Little League event – it’s a baseball event being contested by mostly Little League rules.

We bring our strict, rules-oriented, Little League way of umpiring halfway around the world, but it doesn’t take very long before we throw it out the window and morph into the umpires we think they NEED us to be.

Sam Griffith and I are co-tournament directors and co-umpires in chief, and if we told these teams we were going to play the game naked, run the bases the opposite direction and walk on two balls instead of four, they’d agree in a heartbeat.

That’s how much credibility we have here.

But part of the reason we HAVE credibility, in addition to being Americans, is that we have adopted the role of facilitators moreso than hard-core umpires when we’re here. It’s way more about teaching than mandating. It’s a philosophy that needs to be embraced, and it’s not for everyone, witness a number of one-and-done Americans who have insisted on bringing their my-way-or-the-highway umpiring style to the European LL Regional and were either too frustrated to re-apply or were asked not to.

We have talked over and over about this since Sam and I started coming to Europe in the early 2000s. We see things all the time that we’d have to call at home, or if we were still on the Kutno invitation list, that we’d have to call there, but that we don’t call here.

First off, if we green-booked these games (the LL rulebook is green) we’d have to explain the calls, and that could be problematic, depending on who you’re talking to and how much English and/or gesturing they understand. Second, you have to wonder about the value of micro-managing a game teams over here are still trying to learn.

Trust me when I say that the games here have little or no flow to them as it is – if we start interjecting ourselves into the games more than we already have to, they will be impossible to watch and the kids will hate playing.

And no one wants that.

So we “swallow our whistles,” so to speak, electing to let the game be played without an inordinate number of stoppages, and we look for teaching moments before, during and after games.

That’s why we enjoy coming here, and why we think they like having us.

FIRST-DAY RESULTS were a bit surprising. Kaunas-Lithuania rallied for seven runs in the top of the 7th to beat defending champ Czech Republic 10-7 and Belarus broke a 4-4 tie in the 5th and edged host Vilnius 5-4. Our fifth team, Poland, arrived today and will play a double-header Tuesday.

I’M OUT!!!
**********************************
Jeff Chapman
MLC Worldwide, Inc.
Cell 925 413-9400

Sent via Blackberry on AT&T

Lithuania 2009 Day 3

If I’ve been asked once, I’ve been asked……at least twice – who are these two guys, Sam Griffith and Bobby Gumbs, with whom you umpire all over the globe each August?

Ironically, I’ve been wondering the same thing

So as we made the drive from Lithuania’s capitol, Vilnius, to the site of this week’s Sporto Vilkai Cup in Utena, I turned investigative reporter.

Here’s the skinny:

Sam is Umpire in Chief of District 68 and lives in Mission Viejo, CA. He’s 55, was born in New York to Australian parents, lived Down Under for a spell and attended Berkeley High and the University of San Francisco before finding his way to L..A.

He married way up when he found Deb, his bride of 32 years, and they have two 20-something boys and a grandson.

Sam’s been umpiring 22 years. He did his first of six years worth of European Regionals in Kutno, Poland in 2001, has done all five Sporto Vilkai Cups, has been nominated to do the West Regional in San Bernardino a hundred times, has (miraculously) avoided being selected every time, and can recite the rulebook by letter, number and page (annoying).

Bobby is a youthful 59, was born in the Dutch colony of Aruba, moved to Holland to study and find work, married up (trend developing)when he found Lida, and has one son.

He’s been umpiring 18 years and has done three of the four possible LLB World Series (Majors in Williamsport, PA; Juniors in Taylor, MI, and Big League in Easley, SC, which concluded just three days ago. He’s done 11 years worth of European Regionals and all five Lithuanian tournaments, and there’s not a baseball player, coach or administrator on the continent who doesn’t know him (he’s a 6-foot-5 black “comedian” with unmistakable mechanics and mannerisms).

For those friends of Sam and Bobby who have been referred to this space and who don’t know me, I was born, raised and still reside in the Eastbay of Northern California. I am 56, I cashed in way above my pay grade 32 years ago when I tied the knot with Marsha, and we have two 20-somethings. I started umpiring 13 years ago, have done five years worth of European Regionals and all five Lithuanian tournaments.

So how and when did The Three Amigos (our given name in this part of the world) hook up? At the European LL regional in Poland in 2002.

Sam and Bobby had already met the previous year in Kutno, but I am credited with being the straw that stirred the drink (an apt description after last night, but that’s another story for another day).

Since our first of five years together in Poland in ‘02, we’ve also umpired in Germany in ‘03, given a clinic together in Scotland in ‘04 and been together all five years in Lithuania since ‘05.

In some respects, we are as different as, well, black and white. In other respects, like umpiring, we share a passion that literally knows no bounds.

PLAY BALL: It’s time for baseball. Come Monday morning, defending champ Czech Republic squares off against Kaunas (Lithuania), followed by Belarus meeting host Vilnius. Poland has a bye.

The economy kept the California team from coming, and Sweden bailed just the other day.

So the aforementioned five teams will play a round robin culminating Friday with the championship and third-place games.

We have eight umpires for the 12-game tournament: the three of us and five from Lithuania. We’ll be teaching as much as we’ll be umpiring, although these five are pretty much the cream of the Lithuanian crop.

SEEN AT THE COACHES meeting tonight: the Belarus coach wearing a hat from Ladera Ranch LL, which visited here last year, and the Kaunas coach wearing a Viejo LL t-shirt (SoCal donation from a few years ago).

Until Monday…..

I’M OUT!!!
**********************************
Jeff Chapman
MLC Worldwide, Inc.
Cell 925 413-9400

Sent via Blackberry on AT&T

Lithuania 2009 Day 2

It’s Mark Caress Day at Granada LL in Livermore today and even though I am half a world away, I am there in spirit, believe me.

Mark passed a couple of weeks ago in his sleep at the way-too-young age of 54. He was the consummate LL volunteer, a teacher and an inspiration – not just to folks at Granada, but to District 57 and beyond.

I keep thinking about his wife, Mary, who was almost always in the stands when he umpired. I hope she will continue to attend games now and again. But even if she doesn’t, I know she knows how loved and respected Mark was.

A couple of months ago, District 57 took over the San Bernardino LL complex for a weekend and held a tournament. Kate Hart from Tassajara was designated as the Umpire in Chief, and Mark and I were among the invitees.

As we approached championship Sunday, Kate asked my opinion about who I thought should have the plate for the championship game. I suggested Mark.

Why? Because he always struck me as a pro in amateur’s clothing, someone who took every little detail to heart and umpired every game, no matter how seemingly insignificant, as though it was the ultimate title game. My feeling was that Mark belonged behind the plate on the field where in the next week LL will crown a west champion and send that team off to Williamsport. It just seemed right.

Three years ago, when the Lithuanian baseball contingent visited District 57, I was looking for volunteers to perform all sorts of tasks. Mark took the week off work and drove one of the three vans we used to get the Lithuanians to and from games, tours, shopping and meal stops. I was surprised when Mark volunteered – in retrospect, I shouldn’t have been. That’s just who he was.

I am not in Livermore today as the community remembers Mark, but I’m raising a toast nonetheless – to Mark Caress, an American hero, a selfless volunteer, a model umpire and a respected friend.

ONE YEAR AGO this month, the Lithuanian seniors won the European title and qualified for the World Series in Bangor, ME, but two of the players who helped the team get there didn’t go.

Dovydas Neverauskas and Edvardas Matusevicius were among 38 European players invited to Major League Baseball’s tryout camp in Italy.

Despite missing two of their best players, the Lithuanians went 2-2 in Maine. And both players impressed enough at the MLB camp that Dovydas signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates – the first-ever homegrown Lithuanian product to do so – and Edvardas was wooed by the Pirates, Minnesota Twins and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Edvardas opted not to sign, and instead will attend his senior year of high school in New Jersey as part of an international exchange program facilitated by Will Gordon, Lithuania’s Director of Foreign Relations.

“As a family, we felt his education was the first priority,” said Edvardas’ brother, Edgaras. “The MLB teams said they’ll continue to watch him in high school and then at a U.S. college.”

Edvardas was growing tired of the outfield work at the camp, even though he continued to grade high. He wanted to pitch. Finally, toward the end of the camp, just to appease the kid, MLB officials relented. And while Edvardas’ fastball was only OK at about 77 mph – Dovydas threw about 87 mph – his curveball graded out as one of the best in the camp.

“If he’s going to be an outfielder, then his hitting has to improve,” said Edgaras. “If he’s going to be a pitcher, then his fastball has to improve. Ether way, he has work to do.”

Either way, an exciting time for Lietuva beisbolas – one native Lithuanian signed, one on the watch list, and greater visibility for all.

I’M OUT!!!
**********************************
Jeff Chapman
MLC Worldwide, Inc.
Cell 925 413-9400

Sent via Blackberry on AT&T

Lithuania 2009 Day 1

If you know me well, you know I love to play poker. If not for a wife, kids, family in general, umpiring and a desire to live outside a cave and have a measurable quality of life, I think I could play cards 24×7x365.

As such, I’d like to think I have a pretty good poker face, but how do you really know? I mean, who do you ask?

That said, I KNOW I didn’t have my best poker face when I arrived in Lithuania today. Nor did my buddy, Sam Griffith. We have decided that this is our last regular trip over here – cite the economy, and/or other opportunities, and/or the fact that we think we’ve done all we can do to help raise the quality and visibility of baseball here.

So when our Lithuanian baseball friends met us at the Vilnius airport and whisked us off to our hotel and then to dinner, what should have been a celebratory mood was tempered somewhat by the reality that all good things must come to an end. And I KNOW it showed on our faces. Even as we were saying hello, it was as if we were saying goodbye.

Oh, we’ll have a great time here, and then in nearby Utena for the 5th Sporto Vilkai Cup, which starts Monday. How can you beat baseball, beer, and umpiring in ANY country, let alone one as beautiful and serene as Lithuania? But moreso than on any previous trip here, this time we’re going to celebrate the people who have made our baseball missions here so fabulous and who have stamped their memories in our minds forever.

Because the fact of the matter is, we may not see these great people again.

Like the Bareinke family. Zilvinas is an umpire, a coach, and a baseball sponge. He coined the call “Safe…Out…Sorry!” in the first Sporto Vilkai Cup, but has since done two European LL Regionals. His prego wife, Lina, is the mate all umpires should have – the one who gets angry when you DON’T have a game to work – because she loves baseball so much, she wants to go with you and watch (ala Mary Caress, who was almost always at her late husband Mark’s side when he umpired). Their daughter, Dominique, has been the official scorekeeper both in this tournament and at the European LL Championships in Kutno, Poland. Their son, Kasparas, is a player and the reason the rest of the family has grown so passionate about baseball.

Like the Neverauskas boys. Virmidas is Lithuania’s national baseball coach and the reason we are here. Six years ago, after learning that I knew Lithuanian basketball legend Sarunas Marciulionis of the Golden State Warriors, he asked Sam and I if we would consider running a tournament here each August. Boy, are we glad we said yes. Among other acomplishments, Virmidas has taken two Lithuanian teams to the Seniors World Series in Bangor, ME. Virmidas’ son, Dovydas, is 17 and just signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Like the Matusevicius family. My parents, Jack and Jan, had a thing with “J,” hence their kids: Jeff, Janice, Jill, John and Jay. The Matusevicius clan has a thing with “Ed,” hence Edmuntas the dad, who is the head of the Lithuanian Baseball Federation, has sons Edgaras, Edvardas and Edis. Edgaras is one of Lithuania’s up and coming stars, having umpired four European LL championships at the age of 24. Edvardas and Edis play the game – 18-year-old Edvardas plays it quite well, in fact.

Like Arturas and Loreta Zinkevieius, whose son Ignas (Iggy) was one of Lithuania’s outstanding players during his teens and whose daughter, Migle, was secretary to the head of the top baseball club in the country, Sporto Vilkai, for a few years. Arturas and Loreta own a flat in town and a farm in the wide-open Vilnius suburbs and have invited us out for dinner and spirits each year we’ve visited.

Like “Eel Man” and his family, wife Ina, son Justas and daughter Ruta. Gintaras is one of this region’s wealthier businessmen, with a summer home on the lake that any of us would die for and a passion for baseball that’s almost too funny for words. Be that as it may, he has hosted extravagant eel BBQs each year we have visited. Justas is an outstanding player; the girls are avid fans.

Like Raimundas Kalanta and his wife, Rita. Raimundas is the president of Sporto Vilkai, he handles all the tournament logistics, and he makes sure we want for nothing when we’re here. He and Rita are omnipresent, ensuring that we’re fed, housed, entertained and otherwise ridiculously spoiled.

Like Arnoldas Ramanauskas and Rimvydas Vaitkus, two of this country’s top umpires and baseball ambassadors. Arnoldas did the LLWS in Williamsport four years ago. Rim, who has done three regionals and a finals plate in this tournament, is the driving force behind all the field prep that goes on before, between and after games.

They’re not the only folks we’re going to miss, but they’re the ones who have been there since the beginning, who are still prominent players on the Lithuanian baseball landscape today and who have made every minute of our stay here exciting, fun and forever memorable.

And they’re the reason it’s going to be so excruciatingly painful as we move toward heading home next week.

If it was just baseball, it wouldn’t be that big a deal. But it’s NOT just about baseball. It never has been. And even the world’s best poker face couldn’t hide what’s so painfully obvious.

UNBELIEVABLE SCENE at the Vilnius airport baggage claim area today.

As some of you know, I was blessed with a large number of donations to bring over – equipment, jerseys, hats, etc. The airlines limited me to two bags at 50 pounds each, and I packed accordingly.

As I prepared to leave the Vilnius baggage area, a security man asked to see my bag tags….then my passport….then my “invoice,” all the while letting EVERYbody else exit the area.

One of my bags had dropped onto the turnstile already open, and California Angels hats, courtesy of Tassajara LL, were loose and making the rounds all by themselves. That’s what got the guard’s attention, and when he opened my two bags and saw all the baseball stuff, he figured I was bringing it in to re-sell.

I tried to get through to him. “Donations, beisbolas,” I said.

“Too much,” he replied.

“I am not selling – I am giving to baseball teams,” I continued.

“Who picks you up? Have them come,” he said, and I summoned Zilvinas and Raimundas, whose faces I could see on the other side of the glass.

The three of them went at it for some time and it wasn’t looking good. The guard kept shaking his head no.

I reached for my wallet.

“No, don’t give him money,” said Z-Man.

“I’m not,” I replied. “I want to show him the business card I have that says I’m an umpire from the United States.”

That card, coupled with the ongoing pleading of Z-Man and Raimundas, led to a truce – 2 Angels hats and 2 Pittsburgh Pirates hats in exchange for everything else being OK’d.

T’was a 20-minute scene that had to be seen – and heard – to be believed.

I’M OUT!!!
**********************************
Jeff Chapman
MLC Worldwide, Inc.
Cell 925 413-9400

Sent via Blackberry on AT&T

Lithuanian umpire adventure Day 11

When I think about the state of Lithuania baseball when we were first introduced to it in 2002, and then compare it to what it is today, we can take pride in knowing that we have made a difference.

And so can many of you.

You have helped this cause in so many ways – some of you reading this were host families when the Lits visited in the U.S. on one of their three trips. Others of you have coordinated the gathering of equipment from local leagues to ship over. Still others have actually handled shipping logistics, or made a donation, or supported Sam Griffith and I in other ways, some of which we don’t even know about.

What it all translates to is that baseball has risen to be the third-most popular sport in this nuts-about-athletics country, behind basketball and soccer.

Here are some facts about the sport’s growth and success since 2002:

* Lithuania baseball teams have visited the U.S. the spring of 2006, 2007 and 2008, staying with host families, playing baseball and sightseeing.

* Thousands of pounds of equipment, uniforms and clothing have been donated.

* Sam and I have coordinated U.S. teams coming to Lithuania to participate in their August invitational tournament since its inception in 2005, and then we have run the tournament, trained umpires and umpired ourselves.

* We have umpired adult league games in Lithuania, providing as many as four umpires to games that sometimes have none.

* Three Lithuanian umpires worked Little League regional tournaments this summer.

* Lithuania sent its first two players in history to the Major League Baseball tryout camp in Italy this summer.

* Lithuania now has indoor batting and pitching facilities in Vilnius to facilitate year-round training.

* Lithuania hosted its first Little League regional tournament in July, won that tournament and represented Europe at the Seniors World Series in Bangor, ME, for the second straight year.

* Three Lithuanian players lived and trained this summer in Illinois, and others have spoken to Sam and I about doing the same thing in California next summer.

* Some parents of Lithuania baseball players even spoke to us about what it would take for their sons to go to high school and play baseball in CA.

* Land has been earmarked for new baseball complexes in Vilnius and Utena., and the Lithuanian military, which already lends financial support to the Sporto Vilkai Cup each August, will play a part in ensuring those new facilities get built.

* Four times more kids are playing baseball in Lithuania since 2002, and they have a tremendous amount of equipment and uniforms from all that we have sent over, but there is now a coaching shortage. In fact, Lithuania Baseball is considering running ads in the U.S. looking to recruit coaches – they’ll even pay lodging and living expenses, in addition to a coaching stipend.

These are all new developments since Sam and I first laid our eyes on ragged-looking Lithuanian baseball players in sweatpants and t-shirts at the European Regional in Poland in 2002.

Through the efforts that all of us have made, Lithuania has had measurable success in European tournaments, and now the government and military are getting behind the program in an even greater way than before.

The whole thing is pretty cool to witness first-hand.

WE HAVE EATEN everything BBQ has to offer – eel, salmon, chicken, pork, steak and hamburgers. We’ve seen more pizza than Papa Murphy. We have consumed more than our share of beer, wine, moonshine and coke. We have seen enough cucumbers and tomatoes to last a lifetime. It’s been 11 days – time to go home.

To our growing list of Lithuanian friends, see you next year.

I’M OUT!!!

Lithuanian umpire adventure Day 10

Virmidas Neverauskas, the Lithuanian national baseball coach, returned from the Little League Senior World Series in Bangor, ME, on Monday with a mixed bag of emotions.

On the one hand, he knows it was a feather in Lithuania’s cap to have qualified for the senior series for the second straight year. And to play competitively, never being 10-runned, was an accomplishment as well. It was the first time in the last 10 years that a European representative had gone to any of the Little League series (majors, juniors, seniors, big league) and not been mercied even once.

But Virmidas also knows that life (in his case, baseball) is all about timing. And he knows that if he’d had two of his best players, his son Dovydas, a catcher, and Edvardas Matusevicius, a pitcher, things could have been different. Those two players were integral in Lithuania having won the European title a few weeks earlier.

But this is where bit got a little tricky for Virmidas the father and Virmidas the coach.

Dovydas and Edvardas were among the 50 players invited to Major League Baseball’s European Tryout camp in Italy. Virmidas asked the MLB folks if there was anything that could be done about the schedule conflict, but it was fish or cut bait.

So Virmidas headed off to Maine and two of his best players headed off to Italy, the first two Lithuanian players ever invited to this tryout’

The Lithuanian senior team went 0-4, but two of those losses came to the two teams that made the championship game.

“And we played seven innings in every game,” Virmidas boasted.

As for Dovydas and Edvardas, they report that things are going well at the 3-week-long camp, which ends Aug. 28.

“Every MLB team is there,” Virmidas said, “and so far, it sounds like the Twins are the most interested in both boys. They really like the strength of Dovydas’ arm, and Edvardas is simply an outstanding overall player..”

And what are the prospects that one or the other might sit across the negotiating table from an MLB team in the next week or so?

Well, about 20%, if you’re a believer in stats. In the first three years of this tryout camp, MLB teams signed 5, then 7, then 9 players.

Players age 16-over can agree to and sign their own deal. Edvardas is 17, Dovydas 15.

I’M OUT!!!

******************

Lithuanian umpire adventure Day 9

I used to umpire adult baseball. I did it for two years.

I quit because I got tired of players screaming at each other. And screaming at umpires. And fighting.

I remember a game at Amador Valley High in Pleasanton where the runner for one team barrel-rolled the catcher, a play that left both players injured and in a heap.

Before I knew it, the benches cleared, words were exchanged – things like “Hey M-F, we all gotta go to work tomorrow!” – and punches were thrown. I remember it like it was yesterday, and it wasn’t. I swore that very minute that I’d never umpire another adult game as long as I lived.

And then I started visiting Eastern Europe each year to umpire. Two years ago, on my second trip to Lithuania, I was asked to umpire an adult league game between Brest, Belarus and Utena, Lithuania. I did the plate and had a blast.

On this trip, I’ve done two adult games – one last weekend between Brest and Vilnius, where I had 3rd base, and another Sunday, where I did the plate for Vilnius and Kaunas.

I didn’t even know anything about this most recent game until Saturday night, when two of our Lithuanian umpires, Z-Man and Edgaras, mentioned they were scheduled to work the game and wanted to know if a couple of us could join them.

So, I had the plate, Sam Griffith had 1st, Edgaras 2nd and Z-Man 3rd. Vilnius beat Kaunas 10-2 and it was a pleasure to do it.

First, these adult league games are lucky to get ONE umpire (there are only about 10 legit umpires in the country), let alone four. So the players appreciate the fact that you are there. Right from the first batter of the game, each player coming to bat shook my hand before stepping into the box. Kinda cool.

The game was competitive, but not over the top. No throwing of equipment or slamming bats. No one tried to take out the catcher – in fact, if the ball was already in the catcher’s glove, runners coming home simply allowed themselves to be tagged.

When the game ended, the Vilnius catcher turned, shook my hand again and said thank you. Players from both teams sought us out as we left the field and said “Good umpiring.”

It was nice to see that some guys in the 20-over crowd still play the game for the fun of it.

I’M OUT!!!

Lithuanian umpire adventure Day 8

It was a final game to end all final games – a pitching duel, followed by a late-game rally in the bottom of the last inning to tie, and a walk-off, two-out steal of home to win it in the 9th.

This is the way tournament championship games are SUPPOSED to be, but rarely are.

I’m only disappointed that it was the Czechs, and not Utena, that prevailed 5-4. I say that for three reasons – the son of one of our closest friends in Lithuanua, Eel Man, plays for Utena; Tomas Kviklys, the Utena coach, is one of the hardest-working people we’ve met in this country, and the Czechs have the player everyone dispises, Marik Vykoukal (see Day 7).

Alas, Tomas’ team scored three runs in the first inning and led 4-1 going to the 7th, but Eel Man’s son gave up the tying runs, and then Marik, of all people, stole home to win it in the 9th.

The game was filled with numerous tense moments.

We gave the plate to a relative newcomer, Zilvinas Bareinke. And he did a fine job. In retrospect, a more senior umpire might have handled a few situations better, but Z-Man’s trial by fire was hardly a bust.

 

 

The first “uh-oh” came when Z-Man told the Czech catcher that he called a pitch a ball because the catcher had moved his glove after catching the pitch. That led to the Czech manager coming out to discuss balls and strikes, and led first base ump Bobby Gumbs to come down and break up the discussion.

Then came a discussion with the Utena coaches about a play at second base where Eel Man’s son took out the Czech second baseman on a steal attempt. The Czech player lay injured and the ball was loose and in center field. Z-Man called time, echoing second base ump Sam Griffith’s call, but the Utena coaches felt that call was premature and kept the runner, who was also on the ground, from advancing to third.

There was also discussion with both coaches about a Czech player squaring to bunt and getting hit in the hand while bunting the ball into fair territory. Czech coaches wanted hit by pitch, Utena coaches wanted a fair ball and an out, but umpires ruled correctly that the ball had been bunted off the batter’s leg and into fair territory and was merely a foul ball.

Later, Czech coaches wanted to know why umpires let Utena’s starting pitcher go over the 95-pitch limit, and they weren’t happy with the answer that under Little League rules a pitcher can finish that batter, but pitch to no others.

He insisted upon seeing that rule in the book, so as the co-tournament director and UIC, I showed him as the game continued. After the game, my last LL game this year, I gave him the rulebook. “I’m going to read this before I see you next year,” he said.

Oh, and how could I forget the Czech batter and coaches having a cow because they felt a balk should have been called when the Utena pitcher stopped just short of throwing a pitch? Z-Man had called time, albeit quietly, because the Czech hitter had requested it, and the Utena pitcher, seeing that, stopped.

So there was angst, drama, stoppages, frustration on both sides, the worst heat and humidity of the week, and the best game. It all added up to a memorable title game, and discussion about Sporto Vilkai Cup 2009.

LADERA RANCH beat Belarus 9-4 in the 3rd place game and then gave the Bellarussians all their jerseys and equipment before heading to the airport to fly home Saturday night.

AWARDS: Michael Janko of the Czech Republic was MVP after batting .600 with 8 RBI, and having both a good ERA and fielding percentage…Nick Pufpaf from Ladera was the top pitcher with a 0.00 ERA and only 4 hits allowed over 7. Innings…Sam Hunter of Ladera hit .653 with 8 RBI to win the batting title…Utena shortstop Evaldas Sinkunas won defensive honors for going errorless over 20 plays.

SUNDAY, we’ll go back to Vilnius and umpire the 20-over game between the Vilnius Vikings and Kaunas Lithuanians.

I’M OUT!!!

 

 

Lithuan umpire adventure Day 7

He’s No. 15 on your scorecard, No. 1 in your heart if you’re a Czech fan, and Public Enemy No. 1 if you’re an umpire or opponent.

He’s Marik Vykoukal and he’s drawn the ire of just about everybody not wearing a Czech uniform at this week’s Sporto Vilkai Cup.

I dare say if he pulled his antics in the states, guys would be headhunting him from the time he gets off the bus.

When he pitches, if a close pitch is called a ball, he stares in at the umpire and/or throws up his arms. When he bats, he’ll turn and stare if an umpire calls a strike. If someone makes a nice play against him, he stares the fielder down on the way to the dugout. His sarcastic applause and the rest ofthe show make me sick.

He thinks his feces are aeromatic.

And, apparently, Eastern European umpires agree, because I was appalled at how much they let him get away with this week, even after saying that they wouldn’t or don’t allow such antics.

Personally, it galls me to see the kid act out as he does. And to see his teammates and the Czech fans excuse it is equally appalling. It’s the worst I’ve seen anywhere in Europe.

It won’t change until umpires warn the kid and toss him a few times. Or until some pitcher headhunts the kid and he gets the message. And neither of those things are going to happen anytime soon.

Although there are now at least two American teams who have witnessed his act in the last few weeks and who will be looking out for him next time.

I can guarantee you that Ladera Ranch’s players won’t forget this kid. And the traveling under-16 team from North Carolina that saw him two weeks ago probably won’t, either. The baseball community is very large, but it gets very small when there’s a rooster in the hen house.

The Czechs beat Belarus 9-1 Friday to reach the championship game. They had hoped to meet the Americans again, and no doubt the Americans were looking forward to a rematch, too. But homestanding Utena beat Ladera 5-3, setting up final-day games of Czech Republic vs. Utena for the title and Ladera vs. Belarus for third.

I’M OUT!!!

Lithuanian umpire adventure Day 6

When I first started umpiring in Europe, my objectives were much different than they are today.

Initially, it was all about the intrigue of the unknown, traveling and doing something I enjoy.

It didn’t take long for that to change. The moment I arrived in Kutno, Poland in 2003 at the Little League Regional there and saw the state of the teams from Eastern Europe – Lithuania, Moldova, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Kazakhstan, etc. – it became more and more about figuring ways to address humanitarian needs, and less and less about baseball.

Sometimes that meant feeding a needy team or raising money. Other times, it meant coordinating a shipment of equipment or clothing to a sports organization or orphanage (many thanks to Robin Van Galder at FedEx!).

And now it’s turned toward teaching – training European umpires mostly, initially how to actually umpire and, most recently, working with experienced umpires on some of the finer points.

Thursday, as pool play ended and assignments were considered for the Sporto Vilkai Cup’s semifinals and finals, Sam Griffith and I agreed that the umpires who had improved most significantly from last year should be awarded the games on the final day.

Zilvinas Bareinke from Lithuania (aka Z-Man) will work the plate for Saturday afternoon’s championship game, Martin Suri from the Czech Republic will head the crew for the third-place game, and Rimvydas Vaitkus and Edgaras Matusevicius from Lithuania will handle Friday’s semifinals.

Considering where Z-Man was as an umpire just three years ago (lost), having improved to this extent – with no formal clinics and only one week a year of hands-on from us – is staggering.

His performance Thursday brought a smile to my face because all I could think of was Year One of this tournament in 2005 when Sam Griffith, Bobby Gumbs, MacFarland and I umpired every game, and the only help we received was from Z-Man when he could manage to get off work. His “Safe…Out…Sorry” call from that tournament is something we still chuckle about today.

But, again, that was then and this is now.

This is Z-Man’s turf, and being selected over his peers, who are formidable competition, is a noteworthy achievement. In this part of the world, the Lithuanians acknowledge that the Czechs have the best umpires, but the Czechs acknowledge that the Lithuanians are closing fast. And Z-Man is one of the reasons why.

Earlier this summer, both he and Edgaras were selected to umpire the European Junior Regional in Kutno where their work was stellar, according to our buddy, Danville’s Russ Ruslender, who was the UIC there. Rimvydas worked the Senior Regional this summer here in Utena. Arnoldas has previousl done a Juniors World Series in Michigan. Another Lithuanian umpire from this area worked the much-celebrated Czech junior championships this summer.

These guys are serious umpires who would fit well into any officiating environment I’ve ever worked in. But for now, they’ll have to setle for being big fish in a small pond.

FINAL POOL PLAY STANDINGS: Czech Republic 4-0, Ladera Ranch 3-1, Utena 2-2, Belarus 1-3, Vilnius 0-4.

FRIDAY SEMIS: Czech Republic vs. Belarus; Ladera Ranch vs. Utena.

PREVIOUS tournament championship plates have gone to Barry MacFarland from the U.S., and Arnoldas Ramanaskas and Rimvydas from Lithuania.

Z-MAN-SAID he was only a little nervous before the first of his two plate assignments at the regional in Poland. “I was more worried about the lineup cards than the game,” he said. “We don’t generally keep lineups here.”

THURSDAY marked the start of the party season for Sam Griffith, Bobby Gumbs and I as we ventured to Eel Man’s summer house by the lake for BBQ’d eel, pork, chicken and sausage. Friday, which is a national religious holiday in Lithuania, , is a BBQ at a local resort and floating cocktail party put on by Lithuania Baseball. Saturday is yet another party in Utena, Sunday is a celebration at a Sporto Vilkai player’s parents’ summer home in Vilnius, and Tuesday is a welcome-home party for the Lithuanian team that has been at the Senior World Series in Bangor, ME.

I’M OUT!!!

Lithuanian umpire adventure Day 5

 

Sights, sounds, musings and statistical anomilies from the first two days of action at the 4th Sporto Vilkai Cup in Utena, Lithuania:

* This 5-year-old stadium finally saw an over-the-fence home run Tuesday when Hamza of the Czech Republic golfed a hanging breaking ball from Ladera Ranch’s Dillon Diaz some 365 feet over right-center field fence. Approximately 210 games had been played here without an over-the-fence home run.

* Host Sporto Vilkai (Vilnius) has the only 2 girls in the tournament (Monika and Laura), but the Czech Republic’s Mic Kovar has the longest hair – and a beard. And 3 kids, for all we know.

* Speaking of Kovar, he was part of a small controversy during Tuesday’s game against Ladera Ranch. One of this tournament’s rules is that you must bat every player on your team, although only nine play in the field. That rule was lost on the Czechs, apparently, because they had no intention of batting their 10-11-12 until we saw their leadoff hitter come up again after #9. When we informed the Czech manager what he had to do, he responded, “These 3 players are not hitters – they are pitchers,” to which I responded, “Coach, they are players, so they must bat.”

As it turned out, those 3 “pitchers” finished the game 1-for-2 with 2 walks, 4 times hit by pitch (Kovar was hit 3 times) and an on-base percentage of .875 in the Czechs’ 11-7 win.

“We couldn’t get those guys out,” said Ladera manager Joel Hunter. “That was the difference.”

* Utena shortstop/catcher/pitcher Yusef Sadaunykas, son of Eel Man (you know who that is if you’ve been following this blog over the years) just returned from a 2-month baseball camp in Peoria, IL, that he called “the toughest thing I have ever had to do in baseball.” The kid runs like a deer and is a wonderful catcher, but dislikes the position in favor of shortstop or pitcher.

* Standings after 2 days of pool play: Czech Republic 2-0, Ladera Ranch, CA 2-1, Utena 2-1, Belarus 1-2, Vilnius 0-3. After Thursday’s action, the 5th place team (Vilnius) will be eliminated and the other four will advance to Friday’s semifinals.

* Considering they have no real equipment here, the field prep done by Utena coach Tomas Kviklys and Utena umpire Rimvydas Vaitkus is fabulous. They literally sweep the ground brick dust infield smooth after each game, chalk the lines and work the mound and plate areas with bottled water and push brooms. It’s not as archaic as it used to be here, but you’d never see anybody in the states doing it this way.

* New enhancements to the tournament this year: a digital-looking scoreboard that you can read from 200 yards away, sponsorship banners on the outfield fence, portable toilets, a garbage dumpster and cleaning personnel who sweep the grandstands and remove debris each day.

Now, you might say to yourself: portable toilets and a garbage dumpster are a big deal? And the answer is yes – especially when you didn’t have them before now.

Don’t ask!

* When this field was constructed, organizers had 20 tons of red clay (the same material used at most claycourt tennis facilities) trucked in from Latvia. Over the years, it got packed down pretty far, so in advance of the European Seniors championships 5 weeks ago, they had another 20 tons brought in and had it machine-compacted.

The result? With the wild winds we had Tuesday, some portions of games were played in an orange duststorm.

The answer? Tournament organizers ordered a water truck Wednesday morning and they put down 5,000 liters of water and re-worked the infield.

* The brains behind all the logistics for this tournament is Raimundas Kalanta, a Lithuanian trucking mogul who leaves no stone unturned when it comes to tourney organization and details. This guy really knows how to throw a party. He would normally have the logistics support of Virmidas Neverauskas, the national baseball coach, but Virmidas is in Bangor, ME, with the European champion Lithuanian seniors team.

* Watching the Olympics in Russian is disconcerting. Even the Lithuanians think so.

* What was Edmuntas Matusevicius thinking when he named his kids Edgaras, Edvardas and Edis? Edmuntas is a sweetheart of a guy who works for Lithuanian Ministry of Sport and has umpired in this tournament in previous years, but he’s off to Beijing Thursday to scope out China’s various stadiums. Alas we do have his eldest son, 22-year-old Edgaras, who is one of Lithuania’s shining stars, having just recently worked the European Juniors Championships in Poland.

* I am on a losing streak at Lithuanian restaurants. Wednesday I ordered ribs right off the menu and was told they didn’t have any. Two nights earlier, the same thing happened when I ordered a Greek salad. And the night before that, I ordered fish and was told “sorry, they’re all dead.” I felt like the aflac duck with Yogi speaking.

* One of the dads traveling with the California team, Jay Buckey, is the Umpire In Chief for Ladera Ranch Little League. He wasn’t part of the original umpire rotation for the tournament, but we slid him onto the plate for Utena-Vilnius Wednesday and he had a blast, as anyone would umpiring a game in which you can’t understand a word being said by either team.

* If you’re interested in any player stats from this tournament, go to

 

www.beisbolas.lt/sportovilkaicup

I’M OUT!!!

 

Lithuanian umpire adventure Day 4

This is a great time to be a fan of Lithuania athletics.

Men’s basketball is the No. 1 sport here – there is no close second – and Lithuania’s Olympic team is 2-0 with a dramatic last-second win over Argentina and a rout of Iran at 4 a.m. Tuesday that most Lithuanians we know got up to watch. Next up for Lithuania is Russia on Thursday at 11:45 a.m. – ask ANY Lit, they all know the schedule.

The Lithuania Senior Little League team is playing in the World Series in Bangor, ME, this week and even though they are 0-2, they have played more competitively against U.S. Teams than last year, when Virmidas Neverauskas led Lithuania to the European Seniors title and its first World Series berth at any level since the ’90s, when Utena went to the Big League finals in Arizona.

And Utena hammered Brest, Belarus 17-2 Tuesday in first-round play of the 4th Sporto Vilkai Cup and looks as though it may be around all the way to the final game Saturday.

OK, so Utena’s resounding win over Brest won’t make USA Today, or even Lithuania Today. But it was as impressive a showing by a Lithuanian team in this tournament as anyone could remember. We’ll know for sure how good this Utena team is Wednesday when it faces Ladera Ranch from SoCal, although Ladera dropped its opener 11-7 to the Czech Republic Tuesday.

If the first day of pool play is any indication, and it usually is, there are three very good teams in this tournament (the Czechs, Americans and Utena), two that have trouble getting out of their own way (Brest and Vilnius, although the former beat the latter 7-4 Tuesday) and one more no-show (Minsk’s visas were delayed two days, so they were told to stay home and we re-drew a new schedule)

If it’s true that men’s basketball is No. 1 here, then it’s also true that baseball’s star is rising faster than anyone else’s.

Virmidas’ passion and willingness to put baseball before all else is a huge piece of the puzzle. I’d like to think that Sam Griffith and I have had a hand in it too, having hosted Lithuanian baseball traveling parties in California, coordinating donations of equipment and jerseys, and being a major part of the Sporto Vilkai Cup, serving as co-tourney directors, co-UICs, doing umpire scheduling and training, and screening U.S. teams to participate.

All those efforts have manifested themselves in the form of more kids playing baseball here than ever before, participation in more international tournaments, more success in events like this, a couple of EMEA (Europe Middle East Africa) championships, hosting its first EMEA tournament and Lithuanian umpires we have trained from scratch having been selected to work EMEA regional tournaments in Poland.

It’s a pretty cool thing to have seen grow from that chance meeting Neverauskas and I had when he brought a ragtag Bad News Bears group of 12-year-olds to Kutno, Poland in 2003. I mentioned to him that I knew Sarunas Marciulionis from my days as a sportswriter for the Oakland Tribune. He grabbed my shoulders, kissed me on both cheeks, and a lifetime of memories began for the both of us.

I’M OUT!!!

Lithuanian umpire adventure Day 3

Well, we’re not the fully healthy 8-team field that we thought we were going to be, but we’ve got Ladera Ranch from Mission Viejo, the Czechs, Belarussian teams from Minsk and Brest, and Lithuanian clubs from Vilnius and Utena.

Let the games – the 4th annual Sporto Vilkai Cup – begin.

We lost Russia. The story is that the Russian government pulled all visas for athletes leaving the country, with the exception of those going to Beijing, in advance of their assault on neighboring Georgia.

We lost Sweden and Switzerland, but to be honest, we didn’t have super-high expectations even when they expressed interest months ago. Poland is another country that bailed after giving a verbal commitment.

Participating European teams receive accommodations, three meals a day and six games over five days, including at least one against the Americans. That’s not a bad deal considering the price -FREE!

American teams, which usually arrive 3-4 days before the tournament begins to sightsee, pay a per-person fee of $100, but they too receive lodging and meals.

Ask anyone who’s been here – you can’t put a price on this experience, and you CERTAINLY can’t put a price on it if there’s no price at all.

PLAY GETS under way at 9 am each day starting Tuesday and runs through Saturday. We have 7 umpires to get us started – 3 Lithuanians (all of whom have done a European regional tournament), a Czech (back for a second year at this tournament), and the trio known here in Utena as The 3 Amigos (Bobby Gumbs, Sam Griffith and myself). Before week’s end, 4-5 more umpires will join us.

And unlike the Day 2 blog entry, in which I detailed the deplorable playing conditions in Vilnius, this tournament is held at Hypodrome Stadium, in the middle of a horse track, and it’s as well maintained as any field for at least 300 miles.

MONDAY NIGHT, Sam and I conducted the coaches and umpires meeting. As we were cleaning up, Sam noted, “You know, it just wouldn’t be a coaches meeting in Lithuania without 30-40 empty beer bottles.”

I’M OUT!!!

 

Lithuanian umpire adventure Day 2

I heard about this field three years ago. Frank Harris, who was the manager of the first U.S. team to play in the Sporto Vilkai Cup, was told that his team could practice on it after they arrived in Vilnius from Mission Viejo in August 2005.

I hadn’t thought much about the story he told me until Sunday, when Arnoldas Ramanaskas, Zilvinas Bareinke, Bobby Gumbs and I made some small measure of history on this field by becoming the first four-man umpiring crew to work a game in this sports-crazed Lithuanian capitol city.

It just so happened the top two teams in Lithuania-Belarus interleague play met on Sunday, and it just so happened that Arnoldas was scheduled to work the plate and had no partners.

So Z-Man, Bobby and I jumped in and helped, and in a game that went 13 innings and 3+ hours, Brest rallied from an 8-1 deficit to upset the top-ranked Vilnius Vikings 9-8.

And that’s all well and good, but for me (OK, I’m a bit of a safety freak), I’m just happy no one was injured.

It’s exactly the minefield that Frank Harris said it was. Rocks everywhere. Two-feet-deep post holes, with no posts. Rocks everywhere. Metal poles in inexplicable places. Rocks everywhere. No backstop, save for the 20×40-foot screen that stands 20 feet behind the plate, meaning that balls disappear into the dense forest behind five times per inning. Rocks everywhere. No fences, meaning all spectators are always in harm’s way,

Did I mention there are rocks everywhere?

It’s a cow pasture without cows.

A quarry without a crane.

But the Lithuanians and Bellarussians are so passionate about baseball, they are diving all over this field -affectionately called Potato Field by locals – making plays and not thinking twice about the scrapes, cuts, blood and bandages that go along with it.

 

It’s all about the baseball, and no one’s enbarrassed by the conditions or making excuses.

It is what it is.

It’s the only field in Vilnius, an incredible 15 teams (FIFTEEN TEAMS!) call it their home, and yet even after 8 years, the field doesn’t look any different than the day someone pried up the first rock.

Why? Because the land is co-owned by a Lithuanian politician and a Norwegian corporation, and those two are at odds as to has control. While the parties litigate, Vilnius Little League, the Lithuania-Belarus interleague teams and other field users have no alternative but to take it or leave it – as is, sadly.

HISTORY MADE: Here’s the radio report of yesterday’s game that aired in Vilnius Sunday night:

 

“Brest beat Vilnius 9-8 in 13 innings in interleague tournament play today, and it was the first time in the history of baseball in Vilnius that there were 4 official umpires working a game, two from Lithuania, one from USA, and one from Holland.”

MONDAY, WE switch locations to Utena, about 60 miles NE from Vilnius, where play will begin in the Sporto Vilkai Cup on Tuesday.

I’m OUT!!!

**********************************

 

Lithuanian umpire adventure Day 1

I’ve seen photos of the Ladera LL team from SoCal having arrived in Vilnius to typical Lithuanian fanfare. I’ve read emails about their field trips, including an 8-story-tall water park slide experience that one of the kids called “sick.”

That’s “sick” – as in awesome.

Now, with the 4th annual Sporto Vilkai Cup set to start in a few days, it’s my turn to roll into town.

After having spent the last 3 days in Mannheim, Germany visiting my brother Jay, who is a Lt.Col. in the Army, I had a painless 2 1/2-hour flight to Vilnius that started off quite humorously in the Frankfurt airport.

I checked the maximum weight luggage I could (44 lbs. for a within-Europe flight), and had to carry on the rest, including a bag containing my umpire gear and some giveaways that raised concerns at the security checkpoint. A more senior person was summoned to come over and inspect what the scanner was questioning.

“You have a lot of metal in there,” the man said as he looked at the screen and waited for me to open the bag.

“You’re right,” I replied. “I’m an umpire. My equipment’s in there.”

First, I showed him my facemask. He took it, nodded his head approvingly, turned toward the young man who had done the scan, put my mask to his face, stuck out his right hand and bellowed “Strike!”

Everyone in the area laughed.

“What else do you have?” he asked.

I showed him my steel-toed plate shoes and a bag of San Ramon Valley LL pins.

“Why steel in the shoes?” he asked.

“So I don’t break a toe when a foul ball goes straight down,” I explained.

Again, he nodded approvingly.

“And the bag of…what are these, pins?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said. “Would you like one?”

“He turned, spoke to the scanner operator in German for a moment, then turned back to me and said, “We’d like TWO!”

As I left, these two German men were proudly wearing their SRVLL pins and not caring in the slightest that they had no idea where Danville, CA was.

But my annual Eastern European baseball/goodwill adventure was off to a rousing start.

As we prepared to board the twin-prop, 50-seat, kinda-scary-looking Lithuanian Airlines plane, my equipment bag became the subject of controversy again.

“Sir, can I take that bag from you and put it in the belly of the plane?” an airport official asked, “‘Cause I don’t think it’s gonna fit in the overhead compartment on this small plane.”

“Sure,” I said. “Say, how come you speak better English than I do?”

“Because I’m from San Diego,” said Bill Lieber, who retired U.S. Air Force, met a German girl, married her and never left.

Before he rolled my bag away, I gave him a pin. And, oh by the way, he DID know where Danville was. “Up there by ‘Frisco,” he said.

I was met at the airport by the Bareinke family – Lithuanian umpire Zilvinas, wife Lina and daughter Dominique – and whisked away to dinner. Can’t remember the last time I had Mexican food in Germany and Chinese food in Lithuania…in the same day.

Sunday is another field trip day for the American team – to Trakai, the island castle just outside of town. As for me, I’ll be joining Zilvinas, Bobby Gumbs and Arnoldas Ramanaskas to umpire a 20-over game between Lithuania and Belarus. Arnoldas worked a game between the two teams by himself earlier today. Later Sunday, travel plans willing, my co-tournament director and co-chief umpire, Sam Griffith, arrives.

I’m OUT!!!

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Check here for Lithuania updates starting Aug. 9

If you are interested in following the Sporto Vilkai Cup 2008 baseball tournament from Utena, Lithuania, which starts Aug. 11, this is the place…I will be providing daily updates and feature stories and trying to give you a feel for what this Baltic States event is all about…scheduled to compete this year in the 13- and 14-year-old tournament are defending champion Mission Viejo, California, Russia, Belarus, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden and two teams from host Lithuania.

Jeff Chapman LL Diary Day 18

Tuesday night was the Utena sendoff, and it involved tournament organizers, umpires, the Utena team and families, and the Irvine team that was being hosted in Utena.

It was a BIG bash.

It was held at the lakefront, weekend getaway of one of the Utena team parents (Eel Man, aka Gintaras).

Wednesday was the farewell celebration put on by Sporto Vilkai at the summer home of Ignas’ parents outside Vilnius. This party was for the tournament organizers, umpires, the two Vilnius teams, the parents, and the Dublin team that they hosted.

It was a BIG bash.

The point is, these people know how to throw a party, how to celebrate an event, how to be hospitable. Each night since Sam Griffith, Bobby Gumbs and I arrived from Poland, we have been catered to. At times, we have had to say something to the extent of “Guys, sorry, but we gotta get some sleep.”

They put us up in a nice hotel in Utena, away from the coaches and kids, so that we could get some rest after our 12-hour days at the field. We had large private rooms, while the Lithuanian umpires stayed in dormitory-style housing. They wouldn’t have it any other way. Quite frankly, it was a little embarrasing.

Each day during the tournament, they had pizza and other hot food delivered for us. Even when we said “No, thank you.”

Wednesday, they moved us to a hotel in Vilnius so that we could be closer to the airport for our flight home at 6 a.m. Thursday (8 p.m. Wedesday in CA).

Over and over again, they wanted to know: What else can we do to make your stay better?

They recognize that as ambassadors for Lithuanian tourism, what they are building here has some potential. Five years ago, Lithuania began making a push to attract tourists, particularly Americans.

And through baseball, they are accomplishing their mission. This particular push started with a couple of American umpires, and now there are two American teams participating, too. And bringing extra parents as fans.

And not one person we talked to could find a negative thing to say about their stay, which of course will promote interest by others to come.

And yet, for The Three Amigos, as we are called here, the clarity of the big picture is muddied somewhat by the Lithuanians’ over-the-top hospitality.

Last year, Sporto Vilkai coach Virmidas Neverauskas and his wife slept on the floor and insisted that the Irvine coach sleep in their bed. They wouldn’t have it any other way.

This year, Virmidas’ team slept in tents about 30 yards away from the buildings that housed the Dublin team. It rained at least two of the nights that we were here, and even though the Lithuanian kids said they had fun sleeping outdoors, you have to wonder if they’re just putting a happy face on the situation.

I asked some other Lithuanian folks associated with the tournament where they were staying, and their vague answers indicated to me that they really didn’t want us to know.

And if you think that the housing shortage in the Utena area is bad now, wait a year or two when they get another field built and go from eight to 16 teams.

Their attitude is: Don’t worry; we’ll figure it out.

BOBBY GOT PULLED over by Lithuanian police Wednesday for doing the equivalent of 84 in a 55 on the open highway between Utena and Vilnius.

The cop told Bobby he was speeding, that he needed to see his license, and to get out of his car and INTO the backseat of the police car.

Fifteen minutes later, Bobby came back. He avoided what would have been a $433 USD ticket by telling the cops that he and his American friends were volunteer umpires who had paid their own way to come to Lithuania to umpire baseball in Utena.

That was all they needed to hear.

Time to come home.

For the final time on this trip…I’M OUT!!!

Jeff Chapman LL Diary Day 17

So, what would you have done?

A team starts the game with only nine players.

One gets injured (broken nose) and can’t continue.

For all you umpires out there, the answer is simple: game over; thank you for coming; drive home safely.

For all you non-umpires, you must start a baseball game with nine players AND you must have nine throughout. NO exceptions.

But here’s the extenuating circumstances to this game:

*It was the championship game of the Sporto Vilkai Cup here in Utena, Lithuania.

*The game was competitive, with Irvine leading host Sporti Vilkai from Vilnius, 2-1 in the top of the third inning.

*There were 400 people in attendance.

*This is an event that is in just its second year of existence and that made a huge marketing push for more teams and greater attendance this year.

*The REASON the team had only nine players in the first place is because, to fill out the tournament to eight teams, Virmidas Neverauskas split his 18-man roster into two teams of nine.

OK, so now you have all the facts. Ignas (many of you in NorCal and SoCal remember him from the Lithuanians’ visit in April) breaks his nose on a train wreck at second base. They have eight guys left. What do you do?

A) forfeit – game over as per rulebook.

B) let Sporto Vilkai select a player off its second team, which played earlier in the day and was in attendance.

C) let Irvine pick a player off Sporto Vilkai’s second-team roster.

D) let Irvine give Sporto Vilkai a player off its bench.

E) rule a forfeit, but use B, C or D to continue and finish the game.

Anyway, there are probably a few other options that Sam Griffith and I had as Tournament Directors. But by the time that we walked the 40 yards from the racetrack grandstands to the field, Virmidas and Irvine manager David Lester had agreed upon Option B.

And so it was. Sam and I looked at each other, informed the coaches that what they had agreed upon was OK with us so long as we heard each of them SAY it was OK with them, and waited for the second-team player to change clothes.

Ultimately, Irvine won its second straight Sporto Vilkai Cup, 12-3.

And then everyone hugged and took pictures.

I wonder how jovial the mood would have been if the second-team player, who was with the first team when they toured California in April, would have stroked the game-winning hit.

Anyway, what would YOU have done in our shoes?

WHINEY WINNERS: The Russians came to this tournament for one reason, and one reason alone – to win. And when they weren’t winning, they were whiney and cranky.

Cases in point:

1) During their 10-0 semifinal loss to Irvine, two of their injured reserves were playing catch warming up, and the ball came loose and came flying onto the field, nearly hitting the Irvine first base coach in the head. The Russian coach, frustrated and trailing 6-0 already, screamed at the players, “If you’re not too injured to play catch, you’re not too injured to run, so start running.” And for the next hour-and-a-half, they ran, and ran, and ran around the horse track. About five miles, we figure.

2) Before the third-place game against Utena Tuesday, the Russian coaches saw the 3 Lithuanian umpires getting ready and approached me to complain. “Why do we have a Lithuanian plate umpire again? We don’t understand their strike zone.”

I told them the assignments were done on merit and that Rimvydas would give them a great performance behind the plate, and he did. The other two umps, Arnoldasa and Eduardas, were stellar.

After the game, I met up with the Russian coaches again. Their comment?

“It’s amazing we won 17-2 considering we played nine against 12,” their interpretor said.

I walked away shaking my head.

NOTES: Had post-tournament dinner at Eel Man’s house. That’s Gintaras’ house, for you Californians who got to meet him. Alas, no eel this night – hot dogs and such…The big hit at the snack bar this week was a waffle on a stick, cooked fresh, with chocolate sauce on it and either powdered sugar or sprinkles – 67 cents USD….Final records: Irvine 5-0, Sporto Vilkai 3-2, Russia 3-2, Utena 2-3, Dublin 2-3, Czech Republic 2-3, Belarus 2-3, Vilnius II 1-4…Watching the Vilnius II parents attempt to do the wave – for the first time, apparently – was hilarious…They played Credence Clearwater’s Greatest Hits between innings Tuesday. Took me back to my first high school dance, when Credence headlined right after releasing Suzie Q.

Final Lithuania impressions Wednesday.

I’M OUT!!!

Jeff Chapman LL Diary Day 16

For many of them, it was the biggest game of their young lives. Maybe not quite as big for the five kids on this team Am who represented Russia at the Little League World Series last year, but when you’re from Moscow and you’re playing an American team and playing an American game, the SIZE of the stage doesn’t matter, nor does the location.

It’s still U.S.-Russia, and the adrenaline rush is out of this world. We’ve grown up in a culture that makes it so, and even our younger generation feels that way, although for the most part, they’re not exactly sure why.

“I cannot explain it,” said 30-year-old Russia coach Sergey Zharov, who had three such U.S.-Russia encounters in his life before Monday. “But it’s a big, big deal to this team, and to us as coaches. Any time you beat an American team, especially at their own game, it gets noticed back home.”

Well, if they noticed back home on this occasion, they’re not happy. Defending champion Irvine, Calif., routed the team from Moscow, 10-0, to reach Tuesday’s championship game of the Sporto Vilkai Cup here in Utena. Irvine will meet host Sporto Vilkai, which routed rival Utena, 11-1, in the other semifinal. In last year’s final game, Irvine beat Sporto Vilkai, 3-2.

For the most part, we’ve become desensitized to the significance of U.S.-Russia matchups nowadays. It’s not Al Michaels calling Olympic hockey from Lake Placid anymore.

Safe to say the outcome of any U.S.-Russia competition these days is an infinitely bigger deal if you’re from Russia than if you’re from the states.

“Big things can still happen for you if you beat an American team,” said Zharov, who added that the reason the Russians came to the tournament this year was because there were two American teams. Russia beat Dublin, Calif., 8-5 earlier in the tournament.

The way the Russian players celebrated that victory that day, it was obviously more than just another win. And I suppose you could say that the way they dejectedly accepted defeat Monday, pretty much the same thing is true.

“Three hours ago, I was so hopeful we would play well,” said Zharov. “We’re very disappointed. We wanted to go 2-0 against the Americans.”

Irvine coach David Lester said his team’s focus was clearly different than Russia’s.

“Make the championship game – that was our goal,” he said. “That, and to come over here and play as many different teams as we could. It just so happens we drew Russia today, but it wasn’t a matchup we were looking at.”

In fact, Irvine had already beaten Russia here, 7-1 in a practice game before the tournament began. As such, Lester didn’t care if they drew the Russians in the tournament or not.

“No offense to the Russians,” said Lester, “but quite frankly, I would rather have played Belarus today, only because we never got a chance to play them this week.”

NOTES: We gave Lithuania’s best umpire, Arnoldas Ramanaskas, the plate for the championship game…Sunday, I mentioned that we had been joined by a fifth Lithuanian umpire, “Big Ed,” and that he was the son of our 20-year-old ump, Ed. So, naturally, I assumed the 20-year-old was a Jr. I was wrong. Father is Edmundas and the 20-year-old is Edgaras. Monday, I met the two younger boys, Edvardas and Edis. Ed, Ed, Ed, and Ed. Couldn’t make this up…The Czech team has two players whose last names are Chalupa and Moron. Couldn’t make this up, either.

I’M OUT!!!

Jeff Chapman LL Diary Day 15

It’ll be Moscow vs. Irvine, Calif., in one game and Vilnius against Utena in the all-Lithuanian second semifinal of the Sporto Vilkai Cup here in Utena Monday.

The largest crowd in tournament history – OK, so it’s only two years’ worth of history, but what the heck? – watched Utena trim the Czech Republic 5-4 Sunday afternoon, an outcome that set in stone all the pairings for Monday.

If the Czechs had beaten Utena, we would have had to replay the Czech-Vilnius II game from Saturday. That’s the game I wrote so much about yesterday in which the Lithuanian plate umpire struggled so terribly.

Anyway, the Czechs are OK with the fact that the game will not be replayed, since a reversal of the outcome wouldn’t put them in the semis anyway.

The team that is the most happy about the Czech-Utena outcome, to be perfectly honest, is the team of umpires, who get to avoid their third consecutive 7:45 a.m. to 9 p.m. day at the field.

Monday’s other two games, weather-permitting: Dublin vs. Czech Republic, and Belarus-Vilnius II.

A QUICK WALK in front of the bleachers during Sunday night’s 5-4 Dublin victory over Sporto Vilkai (Vilnius I) found the following: vodka, whiskey, beer, cigars and cigarettes. One Lithuanian father saw me making mental notes, held up his bottle and said, “Sure…why not?”

SAM GRIFFITH, Bobby Gumbs and I gave away all our throat protectors in Kutno to teams that didn’t have them. So we came to Utena with the ones on our masks, and that’s it. And then we gave THOSE away, too, to Russia, Belarus and the Czechs.

So, of course, Sam took a wicked shot off the throat Sunday…couldn’t catch his breath, and then couldn’t utter a sound for the final four innings of Russia’s 9-0 rout of Belarus.

He’s fine now, but there’s a reason we enforce the throat guard rule.

BEST SHOT of the day: We picked up another Lithuanian umpire Sunday – the father of our first-year, 20-year-old ump, Edward.

“Big Ed” had the plate for Dublin-Sporto Vilkai Sunday night, and he was an absolute sight to behold – Paul Bunyan in gear, if you will – as he prepared to take the field: red and yellow shin guards over the top of black jeans and chest protector over the top of a t-shirt…he’d just come from Vilnius, about 90 minutes away, where he did a 9-inning senior men’s game earlier in the day – by himself. By end of day, he had plate slacks and an umpire shirt big enough to pull over his muscles/chest protector, thanks to Bobby.

SECOND-BEST shot of the day: Dublin manager Mike Schaaf in the third-base coach’s box, coaching his team while videotaping the action.

NOTES: Two one-sided games in a row for me. I had the plate for Irvine’s 18-0 rout of Vilnius II Sunday. On Saturday, I did the 20-0 Utena adult men’s victory over Belarus…We gave the semifinal plate assignments to Bobby and to Rimvydas, who is one of the best Lithuanian umps we’ve seen this week…Tom Kelly paid us a visit today. He hails from Manhattan Beach, CA, works for the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius, and his son, Sean, plays for Vilnius II. He’s been our point of contact for shipping equipment and clothing/jerseys to Lithuania…Speaking of jerseys, Irvine’s kids had to do a double-take when they traveled halfway round the world and saw the Vilnius II team wearing Trabuco Canyon jerseys. The two leagues are 10 miles apart.

I’M OUT!!!

Jeff Chapman LL Diary Day 14

Back in the day, he was The Man, a legend in the making, and the impetus for younger umpires to follow in his footsteps.

The man’s umpiring resume is as long and illustrious as anyone in the region:

* Lithuania’s first baseball in 1987.

* Umpired in over 20 countries, including every country that used to make up the former Soviet Union.

* Mentored most of Lithuania’s veteran umpires, including Arnoldas Ramanaskas, who did the LL Juniors World Series last year.

We were honored to make his acquaintance and to watch him umpire the bases on Friday’s first day of the Sporto Vilkai Cup here in Utena.

And there was a bit of anticipation as he prepared to work the plate for Saturday’s Czech Republic vs. Vilnius II game.

I didn’t understand a word he said at the pre-game plate meeting, but the Czechs seemed to understand, and certainly the Lithuanians did.

But then the horror show began.

There’s no other way to put it, unless you want to use the word “travesty”.

We’ve all had bad days and blown a call here and there. As co-tourney director/UIC Sam Griffith and I agreed afterward, no umpire working his first-ever game could be more out of his element. And this guy’s 64 years old, with well over a THOUSAND games under his belt.

This is not to rip the man, but to honor a great career that everyone agrees is over except him. And that’s sad.

It unfolded like this.

The Czechs came out swinging in the top of the first and went down on four pitches. The only pitch they did NOT swing at was a piped fastball that was inexplicably called a ball. It was a sign of things to come.

The bottom of the first was the longest, most frustrating, maddening experience I’ve ever been associated with as an umpire.

From second base, I counted 20 first-inning pitches that he called balls that I thought were strikes. I thought the Czech coach was going to burst a blood vessel in his neck. They pulled the starting pitcher when it was 6-0, not so much because he didn’t have it as because he lost his composure and became suicidal. It was 9-0 going to the second and even the other Lithuanian umpires in attendance wanted him removed from the game.

Twice during the inning, I called time and came in to speak to him. I told him that he had to call more strikes. Each time, he nodded his head as though he understood.

During the first-inning pitching change, Sam called him over to the fence and implored him to call a strike every once in awhile. Pretty sure he said it differently than that, but that’s the gist of it.

Ultimately, the Czechs’ 9-0 hole became a 14-12 loss, and the closeness of the final outcome – they left the bases loaded in the final inning – had them even more frustrated than they were when they were slamming caps and gloves to the ground in the first inning. At one point, the Czech coach had a bat in his hand and was headed in his direction, and I wasn’t totally sure what his intentions were.

Anyway, after the game, the Czechs were looking for some grounds to protest, asking for the game to be replayed, and even threatening to drive home and not finish the tournament. They’d been wronged, we all agreed, but we pointed out that they compounded the first-inning umpire inadequacies with four two-out errors that turned a 3-0 or 4-0 game into 9-0, and that the umpiring was equally bad for both teams, but that in all fairness to their request about replaying the game, we’d check with the Vilnius II coach, Virmidas Neverauskas, and see what he was willing to do.

This is, after all, Virmidas’ tournament. We are just running it for him. He wants this tournament to grow, so we told the Czech coach that we thought Virmidas might be willing to comply with the Czechs’ request as soon as we hooked up with him.

In fact, Virmidas did agree to replay the game Monday morning, so that is what we’ll do.

In the meantime, I had the unenviable task of telling the umpire that we were taking him off his scheduled plate assignment for Sunday. Moreover, four other teams that saw the game in question filed “protests” Saturday saying they wouldn’t play if this umpire was working their game. The die was cast. We had to remove the umpire from the tournament.

He said he didn’t understand. He still thinks he did a good job. He still thinks he is a competent plate umpire.

I felt like a schmuck telling him he was wrong. And I wish I’d see him in his heyday.

ONE MORE DAY of pool play remains before the semis on Monday.

In Pool A, host Vilnius I is 2-0, Russia and Belarus are 1-1, and Dublin is 0-2. Dublin fell to Belarus 10-7 on Saturday.

In Pool B, Irvine, California is 2-0, Utena is 1-1 and both Vilnius II and the Czechs are 0-1.

GOT AN UNUSUAL opportunity Saturday. Scheduled on the field where this tournament is being contested was a European Interleague B Group adult game between Utena and Skidel, Belarus.

Local umpires deferred to the visitors, and I ended up doing the plate in what quickly developed into a 20-0, 6-inning Vilnius victory. So one-sided are these games on a regular basis that they have a 20-run rule after five innings.

Fun nonetheless, and for laughs, you couldn’t beat the moment when the dusgusted Belarus first baseman refused to chase an overthrow – hands on hips, head cocked, cussing in Russian – while 3 runs scored.

I’M OUT!!!